The Role Distance Learning Has to Play in Offender Education
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.56059/jl4d.v1i1.20Keywords:
distances learning, prisons, corrections, online, tablets, adult education, numeracy, literacy, New Zealand, Open Polytechnic, offenders, prisoners, Maori, Pasific, education,Abstract
This article looks into the uses of digital and online tools in distance learning to improve literacy and numeracy of offenders in New Zealand prisons. Looking at the benefits and restrictions of digital education within the prison environment, this article discusses the solutions that Open Polytechnic, in partnership with the the New Zealand Government, has put in place to give prisoners further opportunity for rehabilitation, and ultimately prepare them for re-entry into society, the workforce or further study.
References
Australian Bureau of Statistics. Prisoner Snapshot http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Products/5087123B0CCE48C1CA257B3C000DC7CE?opendocument [Accessed 4 September 2013]
Australian Bureau of Statistics. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Population http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/by%20Subject/1301.0~2012~Main%20Features~Aboriginal%20and%20Torres%20Strait%20Islander%20population~50 [Accessed 4 September 2013]
Davis, N., Fletcher, J., Brooker, B., Everatt, J., Gillon, G., Mackey, J., & Morrow, D. 2010. E-learning for adult literacy, language and numeracy: A review of the literature. http://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/publications/tertiary_education/76971/2.-full-literature-review [Accessed 4 September 2013]
Department of Corrections (a). Our Story. http://www.corrections.govt.nz/about_us/who_we_are/our_story.html [Accessed 4 September 2013]
Department of Corrections (b). Prison facts and statistics – June 2013. http://www.corrections.govt.nz/resources/facts_and_statistics/quarterly_prison_statistics/ps-Dec-2013.html [Accessed 16 September]
Department of Corrections (c). Education and Training. http://www.corrections.govt.nz/working_with_offenders/prison_sentences/employment_and_support_programmes/education_and_training.html [Accessed 2 September, 2013]
Farley, H., Murphy, A., & Bedford, T. 2012. Bridging the digital divide: Bringing e-literacy skills to incarcerated students. In M. Brown, M. Hartnett & T. Stewart (Eds.), Future challenges, sustainable futures. Proceedings ascilite 2012. http://academia.edu/2224009/Farley_H._Murphy_A._and_Bedford_T._Bridging_the_digital_divide_bringing_e-literacy_skills_to_incarcerated_students [Accessed 4 September 2013].
Hansen, B. & Breivik, P. 2010. Internet for prisoners in Norway. Inside Time. January.
http://www.insidetime.org/articleview.asp?a=643 [Accessed 13 September, 2013]
Hawley, J., Murphy, I., & Souto-Otero, M. 2013. Prison Education and Training in Europe: Current State of Play and Challenges. Retrieved from http://ec.europa.eu/education/adult/doc/survey/survey_en.pdf
[Accessed 4 September 2013]
International Centre for Prison Studies. Entire World – Prison Population Rates per 100,000 of the national population. http://www.prisonstudies.org/info/worldbrief/wpb_stats.php?area=all&category=wb_poprate [Accessed 2 September 2013]
Richards, S., Faggian, D., Roffers, J., Hendricksen, R. & Krueger, J. 2008. Convict Criminology: Voices from Prison. Race/Ethnicity: Multidisciplinary Global Contexts, Volume 1, Autumn, pp. 121-136.
Statistics New Zealand. New Zealand’s prison population http://www.stats.govt.nz/browse_for_stats/snapshots-of-nz/yearbook/society/crime/corrections.aspx [Accessed 2 September 2013]
State Services Commission. Better Public Services: Reducing crime. http://www.ssc.govt.nz/bps-reducing-crime#result8 [Accessed 2 September, 2013]
Te Ara: The Encyclopaedia of New Zealand (a). Maori: People and culture today http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/maori/page-1 [Accessed 11 September 2013]
Te Ara: The Encyclopaedia of New Zealand (b). The People of New Zealand. http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/society/page-1 [Accessed 11 September 2013]
Te Ara: The Encyclopaedia of New Zealand (c). Pacific Islands and New Zealand. http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/pacific-islands-and-new-zealand [Accessed 11 September 2013]
United Nations & UNESCO. 1995. Basic Education in Prisons http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0011/001116/111660eo.pdf [Accessed 4 September 2013]
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2015 Journal of Learning for Development - JL4D
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
Accepted 2013-10-01
Published 2023-02-09
Contents of the 
